Rocky Mountain Gamer: The good, and bad, of role-playing games

Who's it for: 3DS owners looking for a deep and engaging role-playing game

Console: 3DS

Grade: B+

The difference between American and Japanese role-playing games has a tendency to polarize gamers.

American RPGS have a tendency to be more adult and feature more open questing that emphasizes exploration and personal choice.

Japanese RPGs (simply called JRPGs among fans) usually feature a more straightforward story that frequently havespecific tropes, such as an unexpected child hero who must rise above his (occasionally her) station and save the world.

JRPGs hit their stride shortly after "Final Fantasy VII" was released on the original PlayStation. U.S. gamers embraced these fantasy-themed worlds and drove the release of dozens of games that previously wouldn't have been released on these shores.

And while the fervor for these games has died down, replaced by American RPGs such as "World of Warcraft" and the "Elder Scrolls" games, a core group of JRPG has kept alive the JRPG.

For those who haven't experienced a JRPG lately, some consideration is in order.

Take "Bravely Default," the new 3DS game from RPG powerhouse Square Enix and published in the U.S. by Nintendo.

"Bravely Default" features a complex, new battle system that offers a depth of strategy beyond most games in the genre.

This is where the game gets its name. In combat, players can choose two options: Bravely and Default.

Choose Bravely, and your character gains extra attacks — up to four of them. But there's a catch: For each additional attack, the character must skip a turn.

Choose Default, and your character doesn't attack at all. Instead, the character will defend while storing up Brave points for a future attack. Do this for three turns and you can launch a barrage of attacks and still defend or heal before the enemy moves against you.

"Bravely Default" goes deeper than most in depth of strategy. (Courtesy photo)

All of this is augmented by a job system that allows each character in your party to take on specific roles, such as Knight, Mage, Thief and Ninja.

Many of these have variants, and each character can combine any two jobs. So with a total of 24 available, the possible combinations might boggle your mind.

While the battle system undoubtedly breaks new ground, offering fantastic depth and customization, the story — unfortunately — sticks with many of the same tropes that JRPGs have dealt with for decades.

While I don't want to spoil the particulars, it's safe to say you've seen many of these plot points before. That's not to say the story is bad. In fact, the entire presentation is quite well done, and the story flows throughout.

"Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII" should never have been made. (Courtesy photo)

Plan on spending more than 50 hours in "Bravely Default's" world. And while most of the time is wonderfully engaging, there is a lull at the end that borders on tedium. It comes off as an attempt to stretch the game's length, and it will inevitably frustrate and discourage some players.

I encourage you to grind through, however, since the ending is well worth the trip.

It doesn't hurt that the graphics here are utterly gorgeous, as is the sound. Even the voice acting is spot on, something of a rarity with a 3DS game.

Ultimately, "Bravely Default" is a satisfying journey, especially during the long winter months when the temperature outside makes you want to escape into an adventure.

'Lightning Returns:

Final Fantasy XIII'

From: Square Enix

Rated: T

Who's it for: Strictly for ardent "Final Fantasy XIII" fans who must experience the end of the saga

Console: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Grade: C-

Of course, not all JRPGs are great, even those that are part of a proud series.

"Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII" could just as easily have been called "Final Fantasy XIII Part 3." That's right, the third part of the 13th game in the series.

Honestly, they should have moved on.

There's a new battle system here, but the game would have been better served sticking to the things that worked with the previous installments because the big changes only work to remove this game from its brethren.

Throw in a muddled story that lacks excitement and the fact that "Final Fantasy XIII" wasn't exactly a great game in the first place, and this becomes an exercise in futility.

Really, I can only recommend this one to those who must complete the cycle.

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